An Agri-Corps Mystery
by david.davies.5851
Summary: Ahsoka Tano was never assigned as Anakin Skywalker's Padawan and instead, she ended up in the Agricultural Corps. This of course had a huge impact on Anakin Skywalker and the whole Clone Wars. Two years after his wife's death, Anakin is sent on a mission to a small planet called Pheebos; can he solve the mystery that is there and what happens when he meets a certain Togruta?
1. Chapter 1: A Break from the War

**Hello everyone. Yes, I must be crazy; another story. This is the replacement for A Gift Lost. This story is called "An Agri-Corps Mystery" and is the most AU I've ever done. In this reality, Ahsoka Tano was never assigned as Anakin's Padawan and so, she ends up in the Agricultural Corps. This obviously has a major impact on Anakin and the Clone Wars. The most important of which is that Padmé is dead; killed by Aurra Sing on Alderaan since Ahsoka wasn't there to foresee it and prevent it. Obviously Anakin has been greatly affected and some of the ways he's affected are actually for the best. For example, Anakin no longer likes or trusts Chancellor Palpatine after the Sith Lord in hiding tried to make use of her death with some very ill thought words, destroying Anakin's trust (more details in story). Because of this, Palpatine had to radically change his plans and the events of Revenge of the Sith won't happen in this reality and the Clone Wars will go on for much longer.**

**One final note, neither Anakin nor Ahsoka, when we meet her, will be the same as normal in this story, at least initially. Padmé's death has changed Anakin; he's quieter, less arrogant and less alive, but one thing is for the better; he's more willing to let go as he's been forced to learn how. In this reality, Ahsoka is in the Agri-Corps and she basically believes that she is a failure. Adding to this is the fact that she has been stationed on a planet where, apart from a few others, she is more or less alone which of course isn't good for a Togruta. Therefore at the beginning, she is depressed, almost suicidal and withdrawn. We won't see any of her snippy nature until a good way in. Well, let's start. Just a note; this story starts two years after Padmé's death; just after the temple bombing.**

**An Agri-Corps Mystery: Chapter 1 – A Break from the War**

Anakin Skywalker sighed as he stared into the Coruscant sky; he was fortunate that he could see the sky from his quarters as not every room in the Temple had a decent view. Anakin was melancholic; he had just captured and arrested the master mind of the bombing that had shocked the Jedi Temple a week before, Barriss Offee. Her attempts at framing someone didn't fool Anakin or the council for a moment as the girl she had tried to frame, a red skinned Twi'lek who was a friend of hers, wasn't even on Coruscant at the time. He had to laugh at the attempt however; it was almost amateurish. It was clear to him that Barriss was no Sith Lord even if she was trying to be.

Anakin had only met Barriss once before and that was over two and a half years before on Geonosis when Barriss and her master were called to aid him take out the droid factory. Anakin remembered that Barriss was taken over by a Geonosian brain worm soon after and was only saved when one of the clones managed to avoid becoming infected and raised the alarm. Anakin wishes that the clone hadn't bothered now.

Although he couldn't agree with Barriss' actions, there was a part of him that understood where she was coming from. This war had claimed too many lives and corrupted too many people. Anakin closed his eyes to prevent himself from crying; the thought had triggered his memory of his late wife; even after two years he couldn't forget her death or fully move on.

Padmé had been killed two years previously during an aid conference on Alderaan by the bounty hunter Aurra Sing and Anakin had almost lost his mind after he heard. What hurt him the most was the fact he couldn't even get the person who had done it as the bounty hunter was herself, found dead two months after so no one had any idea who had ordered the hit. That almost sent Anakin over the edge and only Obi-Wan and Master Yoda working together prevented Anakin falling to the Dark Side. That event led to the council finding out about Anakin and Padmé's marriage and at the time, the council put serious thought into expelling Anakin only to decide against it due to the fact that the attachment had been broken and the council felt that they needed to watch Anakin closely.

Anakin had been alone ever since. Everyone special and close in his life apart from his former Master, Obi-Wan Kenobi, was dead and it left Anakin wondering if he was just born to suffer. He couldn't even count Chancellor Palpatine as a friend anymore; not after he told Anakin to gain strength from his wife's death and take revenge. Anakin was appalled over the prospect of turning Padmé's death into a source of strength; there was nothing positive about that; nothing. After hearing that, Anakin walked out of the chancellor's office and had never gone back.

Anakin's loneliness had burned at his soul ever since that day and he had thrown himself into the war effort. At least he couldn't think if he was slashing Separatist droids. Now, however, he was spent. Barriss' words to him as he captured her had hit home; everything was lost in darkness and the tiny amount of light in the galaxy was diminishing by the day; Anakin had to agree with her on that.

There had been occasions during the war, especially after Padmé's death, where Anakin had regretted his insistence over not getting a Padawan. "A Padawan would just slow me down" he had told Obi-Wan. Now Anakin was beginning to see his mistake but it was too late; Obi-Wan had recently told him that the council probably wouldn't let Anakin chose an apprentice now even if Anakin did decide to get one. Add that to the fact that the council had warned him that he would be immediately expelled if he gained one more attachment; not that Anakin had particularly cared about that.

On the contrary in fact, leaving the Order had crossed Anakin's mind more times than he would dare to admit, even to himself, and now, he was seriously considering it again. In fact, he was considering throwing his lightsaber at Master Yoda, finding the nearest Twi'lek slave girl, freeing her and running away with her to the outer rim. He knew that Padmé would want him to be happy and he would be happy after doing that, wouldn't he? Anakin shook his head; the truth was that he didn't know if even that would make him happy now. Maybe the Jedi Order was all he had left; he struggled to hold back tears at that thought but it was true nevertheless.

Anakin's thoughts were interrupted by a knock on his door. Anakin could instantly sense who it was, "Come in Master."

Obi-Wan opened the door and entered Anakin's quarters. Obi-Wan could tell instantly that Anakin had been torturing himself again. In Obi-Wan's view, Anakin was far too hard on himself and dwelling in the past and what might have been. Obi-Wan knew that Anakin thought that he didn't understand, but the truth was that Obi-Wan did understand; all too well in fact. Obi-Wan had been close, almost too close, to both Siri Tachi and Duchess Satine Kryze and both women ended up dead. The loss of both of them had almost broken Obi-Wan's heart. True, Obi-Wan hadn't married either of them like Anakin and Padmé had but he still understood. Still, it wasn't healthy for Anakin to still be dwelling after two years. "You're torturing yourself again Anakin?"

Anakin was less than impressed; although Anakin was pleased that he still had Obi-Wan at least, the older man could be seriously annoying at times, "What else have I got to think about Master? What?"

Obi-Wan considered giving the standard Jedi lecture about attachments but he decided against it; there was no point, Anakin had already broken that particular rule and he was lucky to get away with it; not that Anakin had really; even Obi-Wan had to admit that. "Ending this war Anakin" Obi-Wan replied with some venom. Obi-Wan instantly regretted it; that was unfair. Even Anakin couldn't end the war by himself.

"I don't see that happening Master. At least not quickly" Anakin replied.

Obi-Wan saw an opportunity, one that was too good to miss, "I know Anakin, but we must keep going. You must keep going so you can bring the peace that Padmé wanted so much."

Anakin managed to raise a smile; hearing that from Obi-Wan was unexpected but welcome, "I try to do that all the time Master," Anakin looked down, "I just wish I didn't have to do it alone sometimes."

"I understand Anakin, but you must let go." Obi-Wan decided not to mention just how closely the council were watching Anakin now. Everyone had sensed how quiet and withdrawn he had been since his wife's death. Obi-Wan knew that Master Windu was considering talking to the healers about having Anakin sectioned in fact; the council thought that Anakin may be suffering from clinical depression and that could be very dangerous to a Jedi; especially one as powerful as Anakin.

"I have let go Master" Anakin replied which caused Obi-Wan to raise an eyebrow. "At least I've let go as much as I can or want" Anakin continued, "I don't think I'll ever fully let go however."

Obi-Wan nodded; that was about as much as he could expect from Anakin. Obi-Wan had to admit that the will of the Force had been cruel to Anakin but it had been cruel to everyone; it came with being a Jedi. Obi-Wan decided to get to the point of why he was here, "Anakin, the council need to see you. We have a mission for you."

Anakin stood up. In truth Anakin was glad; anything was preferable to being bored around the temple plus, it might stop him thinking for a while which would be a definite bonus. Anakin sighed as he wondered what Force forsaken hole in the galaxy they were going to send him to this time; knowing his luck it would be Tatooine again. "Alright Master, I'll come with you."

Obi-Wan led Anakin out of his quarters and headed for the council chamber. Obi-Wan knew all too well that the mission they had in mind was different from what Anakin was used to but like all Jedi, Anakin would have to live with it. It didn't stop Obi-Wan from worrying though; Obi-Wan knew Anakin treated the destruction of Separatist droids as therapy but there would be no droids to slash on this mission but he would let Master Yoda tell Anakin about that.

-0-0-0-0-0-

Obi-Wan led Anakin into the council chamber then immediately took his council seat. Anakin looked around the council; its members were proof of the damage the war was doing. Several council members had perished during the war; Adi Gallia had been replaced by Stass Allie and Master Plo Koon had been replaced by Luminara Unduli when his fleet was wiped out by the _Malevolence_ early in the war. The Order wept that day; despite a brief rescue attempt by Anakin himself, no trace of Plo Koon was ever found.

Anakin looked at Master Unduli. For a second, he could have sworn that he saw a few tears in her eyes and he had to wonder why. Then he remembered that Barriss was her Padawan and despite himself, Anakin flashed a brief smile; it was good to see one of the Masters showing some feeling for someone at last. Anakin stood in the centre of the room and bowed, "You wanted to see me Masters."

Master Yoda spoke up, "To Pheebos you will go Skywalker. A mystery there is."

Anakin frowned; Pheebos? Wasn't that an agricultural planet? What mystery could happen there? "Pheebos Master? Isn't that one of the worlds the Agri-Corps have a base on?"

Master Windu answered; he was happy that Anakin wasn't being sent somewhere where he couldn't do any damage; at least for one mission, "Yes although it's their smallest outpost. The Agri-Corps Jedi stationed there have alerted us to a situation that has arisen there. We are sending you to look into it."

"Situation?" Anakin questioned; what situation could possibly occur on what is essentially a glorified farm?

Master Unduli answered; it had actually been her idea to send Anakin on this mission. Unlike many of the council members, Luminara believed that the council may be needed to understand Anakin better and her recent experience with Barriss had confirmed her view. This mission, Luminara reasoned, would be a good break from the front lines for Anakin but would still give him something to think about so he didn't dwell. Luminara had discussed this with Obi-Wan before this meeting. "The Agricultural Corps have informed us that several deliveries of fruit and vegetables grown by the Jedi on Pheebos have been tainted by a nerve toxin."

Anakin's eyes widened, "Are you saying that one of the Agri-Corps Jedi on that world is poisoning their output?" Anakin was staggered; if true then that would be worse than the temple bombing; far worse.

"Fortunately no," Stass Allie replied; as a healer, she had seen the effects of the toxin on this food first hand. She had dealt with several cases of poisoning related to this problem already. "There are only a couple of Agri-Corps Jedi on that world and the Agri-Corps themselves have been able to clear their members on world of any involvement."

"Then who?" Anakin questioned. He was relieved that at least it wasn't another case of a Jedi betraying the Order. After dealing with Barriss, Anakin had had enough of that.

"To find that out your mission is" Master Yoda replied, "Of upmost importance this is. Could do critical damage this could."

Anakin nodded, but was puzzled; he wasn't an investigator. Surely a Jedi Sentinel would be better here or maybe Obi-Wan. Anakin himself knew that he lacked the patience for this sort of thing. "Why me Masters? I'm not an investigator."

"Need a break from the front lines you do Skywalker" Master Yoda answered, "Broaden your knowledge this will." Master Yoda then decided to let out a tiny bit of information that the Force had told him, "Discover something to heal yourself there you will. Know what it is I do not but find it yourself you will."

All the council members looked in confusion at Master Yoda; he hadn't said this before. Did Master Yoda know something they didn't? If he did, he certainly hadn't told them what it was.

Anakin also looked at Master Yoda with puzzlement. What in the name of the Force was Master Yoda on about now? Anakin shook his head as he decided that it was practically impossible to figure out anything Yoda said once he got in this mood. Anakin decided just to ignore it and let it pass, "Do we have any leads Masters?"

Obi-Wan quickly recovered from his confusion and answered, "We do know that the toxin is being introduced into the shipment as Jedi geologists have tested the soil and plants themselves. It must be happening on that world however as the toxin has been found in the food deliveries before the ship has even lifted off."

"Couldn't the Jedi there watch the shipments Master?"

"They have done Anakin" Obi-Wan replied, "The mystery is that the Jedi there have witnessed nothing and nothing has shown on security holos yet the shipments keep getting poisoned. Everything they could think of has been tested but still no leads have been discovered. The Agricultural Corps have asked for full knight assistance out if desperation."

"Then how…..?" Anakin asked. This didn't seem possible in his view; someone must be doing this and it made him suspicious. He began to suspect that someone was lying.

Master Windu cut him off, "We don't know Skywalker. That is why we are sending you."

Anakin wasn't particularly happy with Windu's statement. Anakin wasn't happy with Mace full stop in fact; that guy was far too up himself Anakin reasoned. "I see" Anakin stated with a hint of venom.

"Find out what is going on you must" Master Yoda added, "Many lives, depend on it they do."

"Yes Master" Anakin replied as he bowed," I will leave immediately." Anakin left the council chambers and headed for the docking bay. He immediately cursed; he would have to take one of those useless shuttles as Obi-Wan had managed to somehow get the _Twilight_ destroyed on Mandalore. Force help Obi-Wan if he ever had a go at Anakin for crashing again.

Anakin walked on board a shuttle and powered up the engines. He guided the ship out of the bay and up into space. Setting the navigation computer for Pheebos, he made the jump into hyperspace.

**Well, that's my new story. Don't worry; I'm not abandoning The Order Redeems or A Counsellor's Story. As I said at the beginning, this is a replacement for A Gift Lost. Please tell me if it worth me continuing this but I do think that this is a better story than A Gift Lost. If you want me to continue then in the next chapter, Anakin will get to Pheebos and we will meet everyone's favourite teenage Togruta for the first time (She will be very depressed; you have been warned) and Anakin will start his investigation.**


	2. Chapter 2: Arrival

**Hello everyone. I think you want me to continue with this; thank you for all the reviews. Before the chapter begins, I just want to say that I won't be covering the dark side perspective in this story as it isn't required and wouldn't fit with the story. Just assume that Palpatine's altered plans means that the Clones Wars go on for longer. Dooku and Grievous do exist; just assume they are doing what they always do. Anyway; here is the next chapter and Anakin reaches Pheebos to begin his investigation but he gets very concerned when he meets a very depressed Togruta girl called Ahsoka.**

**An Agri-Corp Mystery: Chapter 2 – Arrival**

Usually Anakin Skywalker's emotions start to swirl as he approached a mission; a strange mix of dread and expectation comes with an opportunity for him to forget about his wife's death. Well usually he feels like that. This time however, Anakin was just numb; the journey from Coruscant to Pheebos and been uneventful and Anakin had done nothing but reading a few files on the upcoming mission and think about those events two years before that killed him in all but technicality. The technicality of course was the he was still alive, somehow. There had been many occasions during the war that he, the chosen one, had almost become one with the Force but somehow events seemed to have conspired to keep him alive; keep him suffering such as Aalya Secura and Commander Bly pulling him on board a small ship when he was blown up trying to rescue them on Quell; his Angel was still alive then and he was grateful, now however, he wished that they hadn't bothered.

Anakin felt some relief therefore when he could drop the shuttle out of hyperspace. As the hypnotic blue swirls of hyperspace gave way to normal space, Anakin got his first look at Pheebos. It was small planet; considerably smaller than Coruscant. So small in fact that its local gravity was only three quarters as strong as Coruscant. From space, it looked like a swirl mix of green and blue and even from space; clouds could be made out floating through Pheebos' sky. It made Anakin's heart ache; its appearance, whilst not the same, reminded him considerably of Naboo and that brought a pain of its own. Burying his own feelings, Anakin made contact with the Agricultural Corps base, "Anakin Skywalker requesting permission to land."

"Welcome to Pheebos Knight Skywalker" A male voice replied. Anakin knew from the files that he had been reading that were only two Agri-Corps Jedi on Pheebos and Anakin had only be told the name of the senior Jedi, Kliph Freeah, and since Anakin knew the other Jedi was female, he guessed it was Kliph who had answered him. "We have activated our landing beacon and you are clear to land."

Anakin acknowledged and followed the beacon. As he set the ship down and walked down the boarding ramp, Anakin took his first look around. The actual landing pad his ship had set down on was the only clear area he could see. Apart from the living quarters he could see in front of him everywhere surrounding the pad was covered in crops. Anakin had no idea what they were; he was not at all interested in plants. There were more important things to think about; like the war and just who or what was poisoning this farm's output.

Anakin waited by his ship's boarding ramp for several minutes. If he was honest, he was unsure what he should do next; he'd been expecting a welcome but there was no one here. Stretching out with the Force, Anakin could detect two Force signatures heading his way; he guessed they were the Agri-Corps Jedi, so he just decided to wait for them to arrive.

A few more minutes went by and Anakin was starting to enjoy the cool breeze that was swirling around him. There was a lot to like about this planet Anakin reasoned; pity you had to be stuck in the Agricultural Corps to enjoy it. Still, Anakin was here and judging by the mysterious poisoning of crops, he would be for a while.

"Knight Skywalker."

Anakin was snapped out of his thoughts; that seemed to have been happening a lot to him recently. He looked up and was greeted by a tall Zabrak male. He looked to be in his forties and had grey skin and brown eyes and he wore a lighter version of a Jedi Robe, Anakin guessed it was a more practical garment for use in fields. "Yes that's me" Anakin simply replied. There was a time when Anakin would have smirked, made himself look bigger and played on his reputation but Anakin saw no point in doing that now.

"It's good to finally have you here. I am Kliph Freeah. I'm the senior Agri-Corps Jedi here and this…." Kliph gestured to a teenage Togruta girl standing next to him, "…is my fellow Agri-Corps Jedi, Ahsoka Tano."

Anakin's gaze focused on the teenage Togruta and he studied her. She had orange skin with white markings on her face. The markings consisted of wing like markings on her cheeks, zigzag lines on her forehead that ended in markings over both her eyes and small diamond shaped markings either side of the lines. Her lekku had blue and white stripes with continued up her montrals and she wore an akul-tooth headdress. She was wearing a sleeveless crimson tunic with a decorative panel cut out exposing some of her cleavage and an open back, four strips around each arm, gloves, grey leggings with diamond cut-outs down the side, combat boots and a Torguta Sash. Anakin reasoned that her attire suited her perfectly but didn't really suit her role.

It was Ahsoka's disposition that worried Anakin immediately however. Anakin could tell that her eyes were a crystal blue but they looked lifeless and lacked spark, her shoulders were slumped, her lekku were darkened and she was looking to the floor. She seemed unwilling to look up or look at Anakin. Anakin was taken aback by her Force signature; the girl had far more power than he would have expected for an Agri-Corps Jedi but he was concerned that her signature was laced with hopelessness, despair and self-loathing. He could tell immediately that Ahsoka was not thriving here. Hiding his concern, Anakin stated, "Hello Ahsoka."

"Master Skywalker" Ahsoka responded. Her voice made Anakin's heart bleed; it was quiet, monotonic and lacked any brightness. Anakin reasoned it was a voice of a person who had simply given up. It was a voice that was a female version of the voice he had immediately after Padmé's death so he recognised it straight away. Anakin decided that whilst he was on Pheebos, he would keep an eye on her as there was definitely something wrong.

"Are you ok Ahsoka?" Anakin asked. He had a feeling that if he didn't ask, no one else would.

Ahsoka forced herself to look up at Anakin Skywalker for the first time. His reputation had spread through the Jedi Temple when she was just a youngling and he had just been a Padawan then. She noticed his dark blonde hair, black robes and the scar by his right eye. His Force presence overwhelmed her and she sensed the seeds of sadness within him; seeds that she recognised all too well.

The very thought of the word 'Padawan' brought pain to Ahsoka's heart; there was one time when she was fourteen that there was talk of making her a Padawan but nothing became of it. She knew why; no master would want to bother with her; only failures end up in the Agri-Corps after all. She had of course been given the standard lecture from the Reassignment Council telling her that the Agricultural Corps were just as important as being a Padawan and that their role was just as important but like everyone, Ahsoka knew otherwise. Ahsoka put barriers up around her mind as she finally answered Anakin; she didn't want anyone knowing the truth and she didn't want anyone's pity, "I'm fine Master Skywalker."

Anakin instantly knew that Ahsoka was lying; she was anything but fine, but he decided to say nothing. It wasn't really his place but he would definitely watch her. Anakin was again snapped out of his thoughts by Kliph, "It has been good to meet you Kinght Skywalker, but I must continue my work; we are fighting a plague of weevils at the moment. We have enough problems with the poisoning of our output without weevils. I have assigned Ahsoka to assist you whilst you are here and I will leave you with her."

Anakin nodded and Kliph walked away. Anakin wondered why he had left so quick; it wasn't that he was suspicious but he still wondered just the same. Anakin turned his attention back to Ahsoka. To his dismay, he noticed that the girl was again looking at the floor. Anakin began to wonder if Ahsoka ever did anything else. "Ahsoka" he prodded quietly; he didn't want to sound like he was pressuring her at all.

"Oh sorry Master Skywalker" Ahsoka quickly responded looking up; she then bit her lip. Anakin sensed that she was struggling to get the confidence to continue but eventually she did, "Do…..Do you want me to show you around? It's getting late now so I doubt I could show you tonight."

Anakin was getting more and more concerned as he noticed her stuttering speech. It appeared to him that Ahsoka wasn't used to talking to people; she certainly gave that impression. Again, he chose to hide his worry and just concentrate on his mission, "Yes, thank you. I'll need to see everything."

Ahsoka said nothing in response; she just nodded and gestured for him to follow her. She led him off the landing pad and headed for the living quarters. As they walked in an uncomfortable silence, Anakin looked around in more detail. He could see that the crops were arranged in rows with a walkway between each row. He also noticed the path they were walking on was not in the best condition; Anakin wondered if the people on this planet had any time for path repairs, with only two Agri-Corps Jedi present on this planet. He briefly considered that this could be his first clue; with only two people on the farm or base, Anakin didn't really know what to call it, anyone who shouldn't be here would have a pretty easy time.

Anakin again focused on Ahsoka; she had been assigned to aid him during his investigation, yet Anakin wondered whether she was actually well enough. One thing was certain, he had to get her talking; he was going to find nothing out if she was silent. "So Ahsoka, as I understand, you and Kliph are the only Agri-Crops Jedi here?" It wasn't much of a question, but it was an ice-breaker of sorts.

Ahsoka kept her head down and her eyes glued to the floor. She couldn't understand for a moment why Master Skywalker was even bothering with her; no one else had. She had spent the one and a half years since she was assigned here more or less alone so it seemed unusual for someone to actually direct a question at her. The only communication she had had in her time here before was orders and assignments off Kliph Freeah. Eventually Ahsoka reasoned an answer; Master Skywalker was sent here to solve the mystery of the crop poisoning so of course he'd have to question her. This made sense to her; for a second she wondered if Anakin was talking to her because he wanted to; she inwardly laughed at that thought. No one wanted to talk to her. Ahsoka knew that she had to answer him due to duty, "Yes we are. There were a few more before they were reassigned to a larger planet."

Ahsoka's response interested Anakin; there had been others here at one point? Why were they reassigned? He quickly looked around again; this base may have been the Agri-Corps smallest but it was certainly big enough to require more than two people. "Is there anyone else here Ahsoka?"

Ahsoka's shoulders visibly slumped as she answered, "Not really. A few people from the village come here during harvest but apart from that…" Ahsoka's head dropped.

Anakin watched Ahsoka's reactions with sadness; it was clear to him that she was lonely but there was more to it than that; he knew it. Anakin didn't know much about Togrutas but he did pick something up about them whilst he was freeing the Togruta colonists on Kiros from slavery and he knew it was relevant; he just wished he could remember what it was. Deciding to think about it later, he asked, "So it's left to the two of you to run this entire farm?"

Closing her eyes, Ahsoka nodded her head slowly, "Pretty much Master Skywalker….I mean we do have a few droids to help us but…." At this point, they reached the living quarters; Ahsoka was glad, she could change the subject. Being reminded of her loneliness and inadequacy was not something she needed; she already knew how useless she thought she was. Her voice brightened slightly with the knowledge that she could change the topic, "These are our living quarters Master Skywalker. I...I think we'll start here so you can settle in to one of the empty quarters."

Anakin noticed the change in Ahsoka as she changed the topic but even so, he noticed that she still stuttered slightly. Now he was worried; if this girl brightened slightly just because she could assign him some quarters and not have to talk, she was really down. Making sure Ahsoka wasn't looking at him; he shook his head with the realisation that it wasn't really any of his business. On the other hand, someone who is depressed might be easily led into doing something silly; may be it was his business after all, "I see. How many empty quarters do you have here?"

Ahsoka's eyes widened slightly with surprise; why would he ask that? "Er…..um…..at least fifteen I think. I'm not sure to be honest; Kliph handles things of that nature."

'Fifteen empty quarters?' Anakin silently asked himself, 'What is going on here?' This puzzled Anakin; it appeared to him that this base was designed to be much bigger and house far more Agri-Corps Jedi than it was doing so why didn't it? There was definitely more wrong here than just the output being poisoned; Anakin reasoned that Ahsoka's general state of mind was proof of that. For now, Anakin just let it pass but he decided to contact the temple and ask about it once he got a moment alone and that wouldn't be difficult. Anakin could see how uncomfortable Ahsoka was with people; not entirely surprising considering that she was alone he reasoned. "Ok Ahsoka, I'll settle in to one of the empty quarters and you can show me around tomorrow morning. Is that ok?"

Again, Ahsoka slumped and her lekku darkened, "Ok Master Skywalker. I know those quarters there are empty." Ahsoka pointed to quarters just to the right and continued, "I'll come back tomorrow once you've settled in."

Anakin nodded and Ahsoka walked away down one of the side corridors; Anakin guessed she was heading to her quarters. He made a point of watching her as she walked and he couldn't help but notice how slowly she was moving; in his view, it didn't fit with how slim and physically fit she seemed to be. Shaking his head again, Anakin opened the door and entered the empty quarters. The quarters consisted of a reasonably comfortable looking sofa with a HoloNet projector next to it, a small dining table and a desk with a computer terminal. Off to the right was a bedroom and on the left were a kitchenette and a refresher.

The bedroom was the most enticing to Anakin at that moment. It had been a monotonous flight and he needed rest before he could start his investigation proper. Before he slept however, he decided to contact the temple; the council weren't Anakin's favourite people, but he did need to report in and he did need some answers. He sat on the sofa and entered the connection details of the temple into the Holo projector. After a few minutes, holograms of the Jedi High Council appeared.

"_Reached Pheebos you have Knight Skywalker?" Master Yoda asked._

Anakin could barely stop himself from laughing; talk about obvious, "Yes Master. I'm just going to have a night's sleep before I fully start my investigation."

"_Very Good" Master Yoda continued, "Any first impressions do you have?"_

Anakin mused for a minute before he replied, "There is something wrong here Master. I don't know yet what it is but I need to ask for some information."

"_What kind of information Anakin?" Obi-Wan asked._

"I need to know how many people are supposed to be here on this Agri-Corps base" Anakin replied; something was telling Anakin that it was more important than it seemed which was why he was asking.

"_Why do you need to know that? It was in the files we gave you Skywalker" Master Windu bellowed._

Anakin wasn't happy with that response and there was a definite part of Anakin that wanted nothing more than to throw Mace Windu into a sarlacc pit. Hiding his annoyance, Anakin answered, "Masters, the base here seems far bigger than the files state and it was built to house far more Agri-Corps members. In addition, I was told earlier that the Agri-Corps have actually moved people off this planet. Was the Reassignment Council aware of that? Were you aware of that?"

"_Aware of that we were not" Master Yoda answered, "Interesting this is."_

"_We will have a word with the Reassignment Council and get back to you on that" Master Mundi added, "The fact that we were not made aware of that is a touch disturbing."_

Anakin nodded, "I have no proof that it's anything to worry about or that it is linked to the poisoning but it does make me wonder. It's not the only question I have also."

"_What do you mean?" Master Shaak Ti asked._

Anakin smiled; Master Shaak Ti, perfect, "Master Ti, there is a member of your race here; a Togruta called Ahsoka Tano. I ask that the council grant me permission to look into her bio files."

"_Why?" Master Ti asked._

"There is something seriously wrong with her. She is depressed and can barely hold eye contact yet she is far stronger in the Force than I would have expected. I don't think she has anything to do with the poisoning but with how depressed she is I must make sure." Anakin could see that Shaak Ti began to look concerned.

"_Grant you permission we do" Master Yoda answered, "Deliver the files by holoNet overnight we will."_

"Thank you Masters" Anakin slightly bowed, "I will wait for the files and begin my investigation tomorrow morning."

"_May the Force be with you."_

The connection broke and Anakin was left to himself. One thing he did now know; the council were unaware of the people being transferred off Pheebos but the big question was: Why? Why hide a simple personal transfer? It made no sense. Anakin also decided that he was going to try to make friends with Ahsoka; for some reason, the Force was pulling him to her; in what way, he didn't yet know but we was certain that he was more concerned over her than he usually would be.

**Well that's chapter 2. I told you that Ahsoka was going to be different as is Anakin. One point, Anakin knows she is depressed but doesn't yet know why; that will come later. Also, this story is after the temple bombing so Ahsoka is sixteen which is why she is already wearing her later attire but because she was never deemed to be Padawan material, she doesn't yet have any lightsabers. Anyway, next chapter; Ahsoka takes Anakin on a tour and he begins his investigation proper and tries to engage Ahsoka in conversation in the process.**


	3. Chapter 3: Tour

**Hi everyone. I can't believe how popular this story has come already; thank you all for your reviews. I'm glad how many of you have noticed that there is something off on Pheebos. Anyway, on with the next chapter and Ahsoka guides Anakin on a tour of the base and his investigation starts all whilst Anakin tries to draw Ahsoka into conversation.**

**An Agri-Corp Mystery: Chapter 3 – Tour**

Early mornings were never Anakin Skywalker's strong point and that was especially true on a planet that he knew next to nothing about and where the Force felt so…..well, actually, Anakin had no idea what the Force felt like on this planet. The Force was calm here yes; far calmer than Coruscant but there was something….something that Anakin couldn't quite make out but he could sense hints of mistakes, death and betrayal and it made him nervous; extremely nervous. Whatever it was he was sensing; Anakin was fairly certain that it was fairly recent but longer ago than just yesterday and it only added to his confusion.

Turning his head sleepily, he checked the chrono by the bed; seven o'clock was just too early to get up but neither could Anakin just go back sleep. He knew that Ahsoka would be here at some point to give him a tour of the Agri-Corps base. Anakin's thoughts brought him back to Ahsoka herself; after a night's sleep, he was still desperately concerned about her especially after the feelings in the Force that he'd sensed a moment before. Even though he didn't know her; something in his feelings told Anakin that the girl was innocent of any wrong doing and possibly a victim of what had happened here and he decided he would believe his feelings until they were proven wrong.

Rubbing his eyes to ward off tiredness, Anakin picked up his datapad and checked up on the status of the file transfer that the council had authorised the night before. Although Anakin could see that the personnel roster for Pheebos was still downloading, Ahsoka's bio file was already complete. Although he was sure of her innocence, Anakin still composed himself before he brought her file up and started to read.

After reading the usual stuff; name, species, home world, date of birth and so on, Anakin concentrated on Ahsoka's bio history and immediately read something which partly explained her depression. Ahsoka had been discovered on Shili at the age of three by Master Plo Koon and that the two of them had been close since then. Anakin closed his eyes and shook his head; Ahsoka must have cried the day that Plo Koon was pronounced dead. He read that no one took any interest in her as a Padawan and that she had been assigned to the Agri-Corps approximately eighteen months before and his eyes widened when he read that her attachment to Master Plo was often stated as the reason. "Typical council" Anakin muttered to himself.

Anakin was surprised to learn that Ahsoka was considered the most promising youngling of her clan at one point and had had flight training in fighters. He read that she was also due to attend the Gathering rite and construct a lightsaber but for some reason, it never happened. Anakin frowned when he noticed that the file gave no indication of why it never happened. 'I wonder if Ahsoka knows herself?' he asked himself. The final thing he read almost filled him with rage; there was a note attached to the end of Ahsoka's bio file that stated that Master Yoda had considered assigning Ahsoka as a padawan to an unmentioned Jedi Knight at one point but he changed his mind for an undisclosed reason.

Anakin almost exploded after reading that; Anakin hated to see anyone mistreated and he reasoned that if Master Yoda had have carried out his original plan then that poor girl wouldn't have been stuck alone for the last year and a half and almost certainly, she wouldn't have been depressed. Anakin sighed; there was nothing he could do about it but there was one good thing; there was nothing in the file to suggest that she could have had anything to do with poisoning this world's output. For some reason, Anakin was happy about that although he had no idea why.

Anakin shook his head; he wasn't happy about the way Ahsoka had been treated. He wasn't happy at all but he put it to one side and began to read the Pheebos personnel roster that had just completed its download. Anakin was surprised to read that there had been over twenty Agricultural Corps Jedi on this world at one point. He also read that for various reasons they had all been reassigned elsewhere. What really drew his attention however was the fact that other personnel were listed as being based on Pheebos including members of the Medical Corps and Educational Corps. The really suspicious listings however were the so called 'Extra' or 'Special Purpose' staff members; Anakin was really keen to know who they were.

Just as he was beginning to formulate a plan, Anakin's thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. The Force signature of the person knocking was powerful but laced with depression which meant that it could only be Ahsoka. Anakin got up and opened the door. To his dismay, Ahsoka still seemed unwilling to look him in the eye. "Master Skywalker" Ahsoka uttered, "Do you want me to give you a tour now?"

Using the Force, Anakin pulled his lightsaber to his hand and hung it on his belt and responded, "Yes, thank you Ahsoka."

Ahsoka kept her head down slightly as she responded, "Ok, please follow me, I'll show you the rest of this building first then I'll show you outside."

"Sound's fine Ahsoka" Anakin replied as they began to walk. Anakin knew that Ahsoka was the only help that he was going to get on this mission. One thing he did know for definite was that he had to snap Ahsoka out of herself if they were going to get anywhere; besides, he hated seeing her suffer like she was. Anakin looked around; Ahsoka seemed to be leading him to a control room but before they got there, Anakin tried to draw Ahsoka out, "So Ahsoka, how long have you been here?" He knew the answer already of course, but it seemed like a good starting point.

Ahsoka was full of surprise; Master Skywalker was talking to her again and he wasn't talking about his investigation either. Ahsoka could sense that he deliberately had his mental shields down and she could sense he was asking her simply because he was interested. Ahsoka had never experienced anyone simply being friendly before and if she was honest, she had no clue how to act in such situations, "Er…..um…..a….a year and a half."

Anakin nodded as he noticed Ahsoka was still stuttering and uncertain. Something from the Force told him that he must find out more and for some reason, he knew it was nothing to do with the investigation. "Ahsoka, tell me; have you been alone here ever since you came?"

Ahsoka finally lifted her head up; her pain was evident by the expression on her face. Anakin recoiled when he noticed a single tear in her right eye. The truth was that Anakin didn't need an answer; he had already worked it out for himself of course and it was confirmed by her face. Nevertheless, Anakin was pleasantly surprised when Ahsoka managed to utter, "Yes….mostly….well, Kliph is here to provide me tasks but…he never…..he never speaks to me otherwise."

Anakin shook his head and mumbled various Huttese curse words under his breath; in his view this was the equivalent of child negligence. Seeing the pain that this was causing Ahsoka, he decided to drop the subject for now. As they were nearing the control room, the investigation must again take priority.

As Ahsoka led him into the room, Anakin looked around; the control room was small and everything was centred around a holoNet projector in the middle of the room. "Here is our control room Master Skywalker" Ahsoka stated, "To be honest, we don't do much here."

Anakin had to smile at Ahsoka stating the obvious but it left an immediate question in his mind. Why would a farm, which this base basically was, need a control room at all? Anakin took a closer look around and to his shock; among the usual power controls and communication equipment Anakin found controls for containment fields, independent air conditioning systems and isolated power supplies. What the hell would they need those for? "Ahsoka, what are all these controls used for?"

Ahsoka walked to where Anakin was and looked at the controls with some puzzlement, "I…I don't know. Kliph and I only come in here if we need to clear a ship to land or if there's a problem with the reactor that powers the base."

Anakin frowned; one more mystery about this place. There was definitely more than met the eye with this base; of that Anakin was certain. In fact, Anakin was beginning to think that the poisoning of output was on just the tip of what was or had been going on. "Do you have any idea why these would be here Ahsoka?"

Ahsoka shook her head; she was starting to feel uncomfortable as she just wasn't used to this situation but she answered, "No master, I don't. Maybe Kliph does but you'll have to ask him."

"Ok Ahsoka. Where are we going next?" Anakin asked. He had seen everything of importance here and he needed to see more.

Ahsoka curled her mouth and stood there thinking, "Er…..I think I'll show you the store warehouse next; it's the nearest important place to here." Still slumped, Ahsoka trudged out of the door and headed off down the corridor.

Anakin hurried after her. Although Ahsoka's answer and action could have been considered rude and disrespectful, Anakin didn't mind. With how low Ahsoka seemed to be, he was amazed she was functioning at all. An uncomfortable silence again broke out between them as Anakin followed Ahsoka down a side corridor and through a set of doors.

"This is our store warehouse Master Skywalker" Ahsoka stated as she gestured in front of her. "This is where I bring the harvested crops to store before they're loaded on to transport ships and sent to the rest of the Republic. Must of the stuff here are Corellian Potatoes. The climate here on Pheebos is perfect for growing them. We also grow pink lettuce and bilaberries as well."

Anakin took a look around. The warehouse was large with stacks of produce in sacks that reached almost to the ceiling. Anakin reasoned that the sacks were the potatoes whilst the few boxes he could see at the far end were either the lettuce or the berries. Directly in front of him was a large electrically opened door with led to the landing pad; for the loading of ships Anakin reasoned. He paid close attention to the security cameras and sensors that he could see everywhere. He had been told before he left that nothing had come up on any of the security holos which puzzled him; this warehouse was the perfect place to poison the output in his opinion. He decided that he would have to check this warehouse in greater detail later. However, there was one question he wanted to ask first, "Ahsoka, where does this stuff go when it's shipped?"

Ahsoka shook her head, "I don't fully know to be honest. I…..I do know that the potatoes grown here are used to make the carb sticks that the Republic supplies to its troops but where the lettuce or berries go I have no idea. Again, Kliph handles that."

A thought occurred to Anakin that someone could be poisoning the output here in an effect to poison Republic clone troopers or maybe Jedi. If so, the Separatists would be the number one suspect and it's something he definitely wouldn't put past Count Dooku. Somehow however, that thought didn't sit right with Anakin's feelings; something didn't add up and he wasn't totally sure what it was. Although he didn't know why, he decided not to count the Separatists as a suspect for the moment even though it left him with a problem; if they didn't do it, who did?

There was something else that piqued Anakin's interest in what Ahsoka said. That was the second time that she said that Kliph handled something. Add that to the fact that it was Kliph that gave Anakin permission to land. Anakin began to wonder what it was that Ahsoka actually did here; it seemed that Kliph did anything of any importance. He wondered if that had anything to do with her depression, "Ahsoka can I ask, what you do here?"

Ahsoka sighed and her head drooped. Anakin could sense pain emanating from Ahsoka; he had obviously asked something she didn't want to touch upon. Eventually Ahsoka responded, "I tend the fields Master Skywalker and I'm left to encourage the plants to grow with the Force using Consitor Sato."

"You're good at that?" Anakin asked curiously.

Ahsoka closed her eyes, "I can do it let's put it that way. Like everything else, I'm not very good at it."

Anakin frowned; he didn't like her answer one bit. Anakin knew that Ahsoka was a good Jedi; her bio file had confirmed that she was the best in her clan at one point and he decided to tell her, "That's not true Ahsoka. I know you were considered the most promising student in your clan."

Ahsoka looked at Anakin with an annoyed expression on her face, "How do you know that? It's wrong anyway; I was never that good. In fact, I'm useless; this is the only way I can do anything for the Republic."

Anakin sighed, "I've read your file Ahsoka as I am doing an investigation here. Ahsoka, no-one is useless; especially you. I understand you were due to make your lightsaber; why didn't that happen Ahsoka?"

Anakin's heart clenched as he witnessed tears starting to drip down Ahsoka's face. As she continued to silently cry she answered, "Master Yoda said I was too attached and that he believed I wouldn't be able to succeed in obtaining a crystal so it was cancelled. Somebody else in my clan went instead."

Anakin silently cursed again; everything this girl told him made him feel sorry for her more and more. In his opinion, she didn't deserve being dumped here, "Was it Master Plo Koon who you were attached to?" Silently Ahsoka nodded slowly in response as she started to sob more. Anakin placed a hand on Ahsoka's shoulder, "I'm sorry about Master Plo. I did try a rescue mission but I just couldn't find him."

"Thank you I appreciate that. Master Yoda said that I was too attached even before he died. He told me that he was thinking of assigning me as a Padawan but my attachment was too dangerous. Since no-one else wanted me, I ended up here. I'm a failure Master Skywalker; a failure."

Anakin wanted to make Master Yoda eat his words at that point. He had had problems with attachment himself that ended with the death of his wife so he knew all too well what Ahsoka had gone through and in his view the council had been insensitive yet again. He knew from her file that Ahsoka was just sixteen; sixteen, which meant she would have been just thirteen possibly fourteen at the time. What did the council expect? A female version of Mace Windu perhaps? Anakin did his best to release his anger into the Force as he just waited for the girl to stop crying. "I'm sorry Ahsoka; I didn't mean to upset you."

Ahsoka blinked her eyes and breathed deeply to force herself to stop crying; she really didn't want to be seen as a whiney little girl. She knew that she would have to bear the pain alone and she was prepared to do just that, "Its ok master. Er…..I think we should go outside and I'll show you the harvesters and the fields."

Anakin nodded, "After you."

Ahsoka opened the large door at the end of the warehouse with a control panel next to her on the wall and led Anakin outside. She headed towards a large shed about fifty metres outside the door and opened the shed's door, "Master, these are our harvesters; we have three types for harvesting the three crops we have here."

Anakin looked at the three harvesters. All three of them were built on tracks which made them look outdated compared to the repulsorlift speeders that were more commonly seen. One of the harvesters had blades on the front that dug into the earth, obviously for potatoes. Another had horizontal blades in front of a scoop; Anakin assumed that one was for lettuce and the final one had a rotating drum its side with fingers all down it to strip berries off bushes.

Apart from the fact that they interested Anakin mechanically, there was nothing remarkable about the three machines. There was one question he could ask however, "Are any of these ever brought out between harvests?"

"No Master Skywalker, they're not. We have a hard time getting spare parts for them so it's important that we avoid as much wear on them as possible."

"I see" Anakin stated. He looked up and noticed to his relief that there were security cameras in the shed which avoided him having to ask another question. "We'll check these out at some point Ahsoka."

As Ahsoka was nodding and closing the shed door, Anakin noticed that Ahsoka's three lekku were starting to look fractionally brighter than when he first met her. He didn't know exactly what it meant but he was pleased nevertheless. As the door fully closed Ahsoka said, "Ok, there…..there's just one thing left to really show you now; the fields."

"Then lead the way Ahsoka."

Ahsoka turned around and started to walk to the field that Anakin could see directly in front of him. From where he was, he could also see his ship still sitting on the landing pad. Ahsoka stopped by the gate leading into the field, "This is our main field Master Skywalker. This is where we grow the Corellian potatoes. The field on the opposite side of the landing pad is the same as this one just with pink lettuce in. The bilaberries are grown on bushes behind the quarters and control building."

Anakin cast his eyes at the field; as he noted the day before, the plants, which he now knew were potatoes, were arranged in rows with a walkway between. The field went on for almost as far as his eyes could see; there must have been tens if not hundreds of thousands of plants in the field. As he skimmed his eyes around, Anakin noticed several droids tending to the crops or with hoses watering. It was definitely a far more peaceful scene than the war that he was used to and for a second, he forgot that there was a big problem here. At the last minute, a question escaped his lips, "Are these two the only fields you have?"

"Yes" Ahsoka replied, "Although I did overhear Kliph and another Jedi who used to be here called Joa, discuss with each other about the possibility of a third field. That was before the crisis of the poison of course."

"Ok, if that is the end of the tour Ahsoka, then I guess it's time for us to start trying to work out what is happening here."

Ahsoka's eyes widened and her shock radiated through the Force, "You want me to h…help you? What good would I be to you?"

"Yes I want you to help me Ahsoka" Anakin replied smiling, "I know that I can trust you for one and two, I sense that you need a challenge. This place is killing you."

Ahsoka nodded slowly as her brain tried desperately to process what Master Skywalker had just said. Ahsoka quickly realised that it would be a good break from staring at crops which, as a Togruta and therefore a carnivore, she didn't eat anyway. She couldn't understand why Anakin was valuing her; everyone else clearly thought that she was a waste of space and she had to agree. She had to admit, it was nice to meet someone who thought something of her. Sighing with confusion Ahsoka asked, "So what do we do first?"

"First Ahsoka, we are going to have a talk to Kliph and then we are going to start pulling things apart. The poison must be coming from somewhere." Anakin turned back towards the quarters building, "Come on." Ahsoka nodded and followed.

Ahsoka's tour had given Anakin a good idea where to start and it had also proven to Anakin that although the girl was seriously, maybe even dangerously, depressed, he could trust Ahsoka. There was no way that she had anything to do with this but if he was honest, he was getting a little suspicious of Kliph Freeah due to his treatment of Ahsoka and the fact that he seemed to do all the important jobs. He had a feeling however, that no-one knew all the facts about this place and he quickly realised that it was his job to find out about all that as well. It did leave another question; should he do something about Ahsoka? Her depression was extremely bad after all.

**Well that's chapter 3. This has been quite a dark chapter in many ways and I wrote it that way on purpose. I also wanted to highlight the fact that, as always, Anakin is easily distracted from his goal but that it is not always a bad thing. In this instance, he is distracted by Ahsoka who clearly needs help. One note in case anyone asks; Ahsoka stutters all the time in this story because she is lacking any real confidence in what she is doing or saying.**

**Anyway, next chapter; Anakin has a talk to Kliph Freeah whilst Ahsoka looks on and a strange event happens that may completely change the nature of Anakin's investigation.**


	4. Chapter 4: A Talk with Kliph

**Hello everyone. Thank you for the continued support for this story. I want to answer one question that someone asked; No, Ahsoka will not be depressed for ever in this story but she will get worse before she gets better. Indeed, something will happen that will make her worse initially but will put both her and Anakin on a very quick road to recovery but that's a few chapters off yet. Just a note; this will not be an Anisoka; they will develop a brother sister relationship nothing more. Anyway on with chapter 4; Anakin has a frank talk with Kliph Freeah whilst Ahsoka watches and a strange and disturbing event happens that may totally change the direction of the investigation. Just a note; I will not be telling you any of Kliph's thoughts during this chapter, only what he says. It is quite deliberate to keep the mystery. Also, this is one of the first pivotal chapters, so read carefully.**

**An Agri-Corp Mystery: Chapter 4 – A Talk with Kliph**

The Force has a will; that is the one fact that almost every Jedi agrees on. There may be slight disagreements about the exact nature of the Force from Jedi to Jedi but that is the one fact on which they mostly all agree. Anakin Skywalker couldn't help but think about that fact as he led a very shocked Ahsoka Tano behind him. He was beginning to wonder whether meeting Ahsoka was the will of the Force. Even though he could sense the girl's surprise after he had asked for her continued help, he could sense that the depressed thoughts that clouded Ahsoka's mind had lessened slightly and even her eyes were looking slightly brighter.

Ahsoka walked behind Anakin as they headed back to the quarters building. She was still seriously confused about why Anakin Skywalker wanted to bother with her. She certainly wasn't going to complain but it seemed so unnatural to her after being basically in solitary confinement for a year and a half. Ahsoka couldn't help but be slightly excited at the prospect of doing something other than sitting in a field. Perhaps she could pretend that she wasn't such a failure and was doing something that perhaps she would have done if she had have been picked as a Padawan; for a while at least. Ahsoka wasn't going to try to fool herself however; she was well aware that it was just temporary; she would be back on her own soon enough and she quite understood why.

Anakin had noticed that Ahsoka had been quiet since he had told her to follow him. Taking a brief glance at her, he could both see and sense that she was deep in thought. He frowned for a second as he wondered what she was thinking about but it didn't take him long to realise that she was thinking of another life and what could have been. He knew the signs all too well; after all, he had frequently thought about what could have been himself; especially after his wife's death.

Anakin chose not to interfere with Ahsoka's thoughts; everyone was allowed to dream. Instead, he led her back into the quarters building. Concentrating on the Force, Anakin sensed that Kliph was in the control room. With what Ahsoka had told him during the tour of the base, Anakin was growing slightly wary of Kliph; although the council had told him that both Jedi on Pheebos had already been cleared of involvement, he still wasn't sure about Kliph. In Anakin's view, with the state of Ahsoka, Kliph was guilty of negligence at the very least and he had to wonder whether Kliph had more secrets.

"Kliph is in the control room Ahsoka. Let's go as I need to speak to him."

Anakin's words snapped Ahsoka out of her thoughts; she had barely noticed that they had gone back inside. Slightly embarrassed she replied, "Um….ok….Do I need to say anything or just watch and listen?"

"Not if you don't want to," Anakin answered. He sighed; the reason Ahsoka asked that question was obvious to him, "You're not comfortable talking to people are you Ahsoka?"

Ahsoka's lekku darkened and she shook her head slowly. She did consider lying and telling Anakin that she was but she knew that it wouldn't work; he would be able to sense the truth anyway, "No Master Skywalker, I'm not if I'm honest. I'm….I'm just used to being alone I suppose."

Anakin sighed again, "Ok Ahsoka, leave the questioning to me as I understand that Kliph is your senior here."

Ahsoka nodded with relief, "Thank you."

Anakin signalled for her to follow and headed off to the control room before Kliph went anywhere. After a few seconds of walking in silence, Anakin led Ahsoka back into the control room that Ahsoka had shown him earlier in the day. He noticed Kliph Freeah inspecting the shipping rota on one of the room's terminals. "Ah Kliph, do you mind if I ask you some questions?"

Kliph turned around and the Zabrak eyed Anakin and Ahsoka with a slight hint of interest in his gaze; an interest that did not go unnoticed by Anakin. "Certainly Knight Skywalker," Kliph replied, "I'm done here so ask away."

"Alight Kliph" Anakin began. He decided to start easy; there was no need to antagonise Kliph yet. Anakin had to stop for a second; when did he get like Obi-Wan? Anakin mentally slapped himself over that, "Ahsoka tells me that she handles the fields and the crops; what is it that you do?" Anakin already had some of the answers to that of course but it would be interesting to hear Kliph's reply.

Kliph's mouth curls up with amusement, "I have done my fair share of that down the years I assure you. Now, I'm not as young as I used to be and as the senior Agri-Corps Jedi here, my duties are more administrational now."

"Meaning?" Anakin enquired. He was starting to lose patience with Kliph already; Anakin had never heard such a self-important reply.

"I handle the running of the base now; assigning tasks, quarters, dealing with the delivery of our output, things of that nature."

"Okay" Anakin said slowly, "How long have you been assigned here?"

"I was one of the first to come to Pheebos Knight Skywalker" Kliph replied in a tone of voice that made it clear that he was proud of this base. "This is one of the Agri-Corps' newest bases. It has only been here fifteen years. I have been here for fourteen of those."

Anakin noticed Ahsoka was looking at Kliph with wide eyes. It was clear to Anakin that Ahsoka didn't know anything about that. For a second, he wondered why Ahsoka hadn't been told that but let it pass and asked, "In that case Kliph, perhaps you can tell me what these controls are for and why they are here." Anakin walked around the central holo projector and pointed to the strange controls he noticed during the tour.

Kliph turned around and looked at the controls Anakin was referring to. As he read the control panel, his eyes narrowed and he frowned, "To be honest Knight Skywalker, I don't really know. I've only been the senior Jedi here for the last few weeks; since the last few Jedi were reassigned. I've certainly never used this panel." He leaned over and studied the individual controls more closely, "To my knowledge, there is nothing on this base that would require bio containment filters." He stood up and shook his head slightly, "Strange; the Force does indeed work in mysterious ways."

Anakin raised an eyebrow. He could sense that Kliph was telling the truth and it surprised him; he would have lain credits down that Kliph had something to do with those controls. "Have you seen anyone use these controls?"

Kliph looked to the ceiling for a second before he answered; "Now you come to mention it, I have seen this panel in use and powered up on the odd occasion but there was no-one by it. As I wasn't the senior Jedi at the time, I wasn't in here that often however." Kliph looked over to Ahsoka, "Ahsoka, have you seen anyone on these controls?"

Ahsoka looked up and searched her memory. In reality, Ahsoka knew very little about the operation of the control room. After a few seconds thought, she replied, "No Kliph, I don't think I have."

"Strange indeed" Kliph stated.

"Do you have any more info about them?" Anakin asked.

"Not really" Kliph replied. He then stopped almost as if he had just remembered something, "Actually, I can remember that a new control panel was installed here about three years ago; we had a whole gang of Republic engineers here for a week. I wonder if it was this panel that was installed."

"That's interesting," Anakin answered. He was fairly certain that it was indeed that control panel that was installed but he' have to make sure somehow. In addition, something in Anakin's brain clicked, "I'll have to look into that. I've got a feeling this control panel is somehow linked to the poisoning."

"Really?" Ahsoka asked. She was certainly surprised to hear that. To her, there didn't seem to be much of a connection.

"Yes Ahsoka, I do" Anakin said. He then turned back to Kliph, "Both Ahsoka and you have now mentioned that people have left here. Any idea about why they've left?"

Kliph's face suddenly became serious. Anakin could sense a tiny bit of anger in Kliph after he asked that question. In a serious tone, Kliph answered, "No I haven't Skywalker. I'm not happy about it either; there is too much work here for just Ahsoka and me."

"As the senior Jedi left Kliph, were you told anything?" Anakin asked. He could also see that Ahsoka suddenly took a very keen interest in the answer that Kliph may give.

"That's the strangest part to be honest." Kliph sighed before he continued, "This base had over twenty people here at one point, yet all of a sudden there came a series of very fast reassignments. All we were told was that the decision had come from within the Agri-Corps."

"What?" Anakin was puzzled; this was certainly very unusual behaviour, "How fast?"

"Fast!" Kliph exclaimed, "Eighteen personnel were gone in just three months." He shook his head, "What I found really strange was the fact that the previous senior Jedi before me did nothing to try to halt it."

"That's right" Ahsoka suddenly stated in a curious tone, "I remember that. I was told to mind my place and that I was just a youngling when I asked about it."

Anakin turned to look at Ahsoka, "You were?" Ahsoka slowly nodded in response and Anakin let out a string of Huttese curses under his breath. He then turned back to Kliph, "Did that include the personnel that weren't in the Agri-Crops?" Anakin was considering changing his mind slightly about Kliph as he could sense no falsehood in anything that he said.

"Yeah, looking back, I also found that curious." Kliph raised his finger to make a point, "It didn't click with me until you brought it up Skywalker but I couldn't understand what the Educational Corps and the Medical Corps were doing here and I certainly couldn't understand what those scientists were doing here."

"Scientists?" Anakin exclaimed. That explained who the 'Special Purpose' staff members were Anakin reasoned, "Any idea what type of scientist?"

"No, as I said, I wasn't the senior Jedi at the time."

"Who was?" Anakin asked. Perhaps he could get some information from him or her Anakin reasoned.

"Ah, that would be Joa" Kliph replied, "Joa Pritia was her full name. She's a human woman in her late thirties, early forties in case you ask. She was also reassigned very fast and I have no idea where she is now." He then brought his finger up to his mouth and continued, "She had a friendship with one of the male scientists that was slightly against the Jedi code if you ask me but out here, it didn't matter. Don't tell the High Council but unofficially, we allow ourselves to be slightly freer with the code here. After all, we are basically just farmers." Anakin raised an eyebrow and he could see that Ahsoka was shocked beyond belief. Kliph chuckled slightly before he continued, "Come to think about it; it wasn't long after she left that the problem with the poison in the crops appeared. Must be a coincidence I suppose."

Anakin frowned as he remembered Ahsoka mentioning Joa, "I don't believe in coincidences Kliph. My former master doesn't either. Hmmmm, maybe I can get the council to chase her up." Anakin raised his head and asked Kliph, "There is one more thing; Ahsoka told me that the potatoes that you grow here go to make carb sticks, but where are the lettuces and berries sent?"

"Ah, the pink lettuce is usually sent to clone trooper barracks to give them some variety in their meals. The bilaberries however are a cash crop. We usually sell them to civilian distributors to get some credits in for the Order." Kliph glanced back at the screen he was originally looking at, "In fact, that is what I was checking when you came in. I wanted to see if any transport ships were due for a pick up. Sadly, it would seem that we have been barred until the poison issue has been solved."

Anakin nodded and turned to Ahsoka, "Ok, thank you Kliph, that will be all for now. Come on Ahsoka, we've got start pulling….." He was interrupted by a droid that came into the room. Anakin could see that it was one of the droids that assisted Ahsoka in the fields.

"Excuse me Masters" the droid stated in its deep robotic voice, "Something strange has happened on the fields. I request that you come with me."

"What has happened Tee Sixty?" Kliph asked urgently.

"My fellow droids and I have found an entire swarm of dead weevils and we can't understand what killed them" the droid replied.

"Lead the way and show us" Kliph ordered, "Come on Ahsoka." He then turned to Anakin, "Are you coming Knight Skywalker?"

Anakin nodded. He was definitely coming; Anakin knew that it usually took quite a lot to concern a droid unless its name was C3PO of course. Therefore, he reasoned, for a simple agricultural droid to think there was something strange, something really unusual must have occurred and he knew that he had to see it. One fact didn't escape Anakin; odd events just seem to happen on Pheebos and he was certain of one thing. It was not a coincidence.

The droid led the three Jedi back outside. For a while, Anakin wondered exactly where the droid was taking them until it led them into the field of pink lettuce and along one of the walkways between the crops. The scene that met the three Jedi was unlike anything that any of them had seen before. In front of them were an uncountable number of dead weevils. In fact, there were so many of them that in some places, the earth could not be seen for their dead bodies.

"What in the Force?" Kliph asked with some serious concern in his voice.

Anakin was also concerned; he remembered Kliph telling him that they were fighting a plague of weevils but even so, seeing this number of dead was unsettling to say the least. He noticed that Ahsoka had turned her back and it seemed to him that she was unable to look at the scene. Anakin got down on one knee. Looking closer, he could see why the droids were confused; there was no indication of how they died on any of the weevils he looked at. The only thing he could ascertain was that this swarm had been feeding on the pink lettuce crop before they died; the bite marks and ragged leaves on the plants were clear to see.

"Something's wrong here" Anakin stated as he continued to study the scene, "I have to ask, Ahsoka, did you use any insecticide here?"

Ahsoka briefly turned back around. She immediately felt sick looking at the scene in front of her. She thought for a moment that she was going to get the blame for this but nevertheless she answered truthfully, "No Master Skywalker. In fact, we don't use insecticide at all in the Agri-Corps; we believe that's it's against the will of the Force."

"Ahsoka is right Skywalker; we don't" Kliph cut in.

Anakin shook his head. Now he was seriously worried; what could kill a whole swarm of weevils just after eating the crops? He froze with fright; he prayed to the Force that he was wrong but by the same token, it was impossible, the tests had already been done hadn't they? "Kliph, Ahsoka, we need to analyse one of these weevils; there's a terrible feeling in the Force."

Ahsoka closed her eyes for a second and concentrated on the Force. She was a little out of practice in concentrating in this fashion but her heart sank as she realised what Anakin meant, "Yes, I sense it too Master Skywalker. There's a huge tragedy occurring here; I…I don't like it."

Kliph picked up one of the weevils, "I sense it also. In fact, I've sensed it since we entered this field. I've got one of the weevils for testing."

"Good" Anakin stated quickly. For some reason, the Force was screaming at him to get out of that field and there was something unhealthy, "We've got to go now."

"I think you're right Skywalker" Kliph had a look of fear on his face. For the first time, Anakin could tell that Kliph genuinely had no idea what was going on. "I'll analyse this weevil when we get back."

Anakin and Ahsoka both nodded and all three Jedi got out of the field as quickly as they could and made their way back to the quarters building. As soon as they were back inside, they headed straight to the control room. Kliph inserted the deceased weevil into one of the terminal's testers and proceeded to run tests.

After a few seconds, the computer beeped and Kliph read the results off its screen, "OH MY GOD NO!"

"What….what is it Kliph?" Ahsoka asked. Her fear was radiating through the Force and Anakin could tell that she was making no attempts to hide it.

Kliph looked terrified and broken. Anakin wondered what in the Force Kliph had discovered. This time, it was Kliph's turn to stutter, "This…this cannot be…it cannot….According to this, the weevils were killed by the same nerve toxin that was found in our output. This weevil was saturated with it."

"What?" Anakin exclaimed, "How?"

Ahsoka was now terrified. In her view there was no possible way that the weevils could have been poisoned; they had eaten the lettuce straight from the field. She froze with realisation; it could only mean one thing, "The only way that's possible is if the plants themselves were poisonous."

Anakin could instantly see where she was coming from; he had had a similar thought in the field but he knew that tests had been done, "The plants and soil have already been tested Ahsoka. Don't worry."

"Who told you that Skywalker?" Kliph asked with narrowed eyes.

"The council" Anakin replied, "They told me as they sent me on this mission that everything had been tested."

Kliph and Ahsoka both shook their heads. Kliph gave a quick frown and stated, "Someone has lied then. Skywalker, apart from a few tests in the warehouse and the transport ships no one has tested anything. Ahsoka and I were considering testing ourselves in fact but we simply haven't had the time."

"That's right Master Skywalker" Ahsoka agreed, "I would have told you before but I was under the impression that you knew the situation as we did." Ahsoka gestured towards Kliph and then to herself.

Anakin stared as he realised his entire investigation had just changed. His initial thoughts that he had had back in the council chamber were right; someone was lying. In addition, he knew the seriousness of what he now had to do, "In the name of the council then I must order that everything here must stop."

Kliph sighed, "I had a feeling you would do that. What do you want us to do?"

Anakin thought through all his options for a second. He was slightly more willing to trust Kliph now but he still wasn't totally sure about him but he realised that he didn't have much choice at that moment. Anakin however now trusted Ahsoka completely; the Force had told him with certainty that he could. In fact, the Force was pushing him to her even stronger than before and he still wasn't sure why. After some thought, he came to a decision, "Kliph, I want you to contact any ships that may be coming here and stop them. In addition, can you please test the soil and plants?" Kliph nodded his agreement and Anakin turned to Ahsoka, "Ahsoka, you're with me."

Again, Ahsoka was shocked, "What will we be doing Master Skywalker?"

Anakin smirked, "Well first Ahsoka, I'm going to contact the council again and then there's something off in this base and we are going to find it."

Ahsoka's eyes widened as she nodded. She wondered exactly what Anakin meant but she would have to wait and see. She was sure of one thing however; her life had gotten considerably more interesting since she had met Anakin Skywalker. She just hated the thought that she would have to go back to loneliness again once this was all sorted out.

**Well that's chapter 4. What do you all think now? I hope I've given everyone a real mystery here and it's far more complex than it initially seemed I assure you. As I said at the beginning, this was the first really pivotal chapter as it gave Anakin some answers but also many more questions. I hope the weevil thing meets with everyone's approval as I needed something slightly horrible to steer Anakin but didn't want anything too horrible.**

**Anyway, next chapter Anakin contacts the council again with the news and then he and Ahsoka start having a real poke around whilst they wait for the tests that Kliph does.**


	5. Chapter 5: Investigations

**Hello everyone. I'm glad you all like the mystery in this story and I hope to build on the mystery in this and future chapters. I noticed that opinion is now divided on Kliph, which is great; it's just what I wanted. Anyway, here is chapter 5; Anakin contacts the council again informing them of the terrible new discoveries and then he and Ahsoka have a poke around whilst they wait for the outcome of Kliph's tests. Note; the first hints of the truth will appear in this chapter.**

**An Agri-Corps Mystery: Chapter 5 – Investigations.**

What a difference a few minutes can make; that was the thought that swept through the mind of Anakin Skywalker as he walked with Ahsoka back towards the quarters he was staying in. In just those mentioned minutes, his entire investigation had unhinged. The revelation that in reality almost no tests had been run had hit him like a battering ram. At least Anakin knew why there was a hint of deception in the Force; someone was lying and he knew it wasn't Kliph or Ahsoka. Indeed, he now considered Ahsoka's word as truthful as that of the Force itself, and he was beginning to believe Kliph slightly as well.

The discovery that the weevils had been killed by the toxin was not just shocking but terrifying. He had ordered Kliph to carry out tests on the soil and plants but he suspected what the results would be already and it filled him with terror, confusion and worry. In addition, he was wondering if his thoughts were even possible; people had been eating pink lettuce for millennia. How could it possibly be toxic? There was something he was missing; of that he was certain.

There was one piece of good news; Ahsoka seamed considerably brighter all of a sudden. Anakin could sense that she was still depressed but she did at least seem to have some purpose to her now and was following him to his quarters quite happily. For a second, Anakin wondered why he was beginning to care so much about her. After all, she was just a teenage Agri-Corps Jedi; why was the Force pushing him so strongly to the young Togruta? Was it possible that she was going to be important to him for some reason? Now was confused; he liked her a lot but he knew it wasn't in the same way that he had liked Padmé before her death, so why was she so important?

He opened the door and entered the quarters that he had spent the night in. he had to contact the council again; they needed to know that they had been lied to and he needed to get them to chase Joa Pritia up as he needed to speak to her badly. Mind you, he suspected that the council would want to speak to her as well; in fact he was certain that they would. He turned to Ahsoka, "Ahsoka, you can get yourself something to drink and sit down if you like. I need to contact the council."

Ahsoka nodded, "Thank you Master." She had to admit, she had been feeling considerably better since Master Skywalker had been talking with her. All of a sudden, a feeling of purpose and belonging began to appear within her; almost as if the Force was telling her what she should have always been doing. She was, however, fearful after the discovery of the dead weevils. She was certain that the observation that she made to Anakin and Kiph was the right one; in her opinion, the plants must be poisoned. She had to admit, however, that she had no idea how it was possible.

Anakin watched as Ahsoka walked into the kitchenette and then he sat down in front of the holo projector in the room. He thought about how he was going to report this to the council for a few minutes; in fact, he wasn't sure that the council would even believe him. He sighed as he entered the connection details for the Jedi Council on Coruscant.

Anakin sighed with mild frustration as holograms of the Jedi council appeared; he wasn't looking forward to this, "Good afternoon Masters."

"_Greetings young Skywalker; news you have for us yes?" Master Yoda asked._

Anakin nodded, "Yes Master, and very disturbing news at that."

"_Explain" Master Windu insisted._

Anakin paused for a second; multiple scenarios ran through his mind. He was trying to think of some way to make the council believe what he had to say. Eventually, he knew how to word it, "I'm afraid to say that we were lied to. I have spoken to the Jedi here, Kliph Freeah and Ahsoka Tano. They both confirm that, in reality, no real tests have been carried out here at all."

"_WHAT?" Master Windu bellowed as he leaned forward._

"_Hmmmm, disturbing this development is" Master Yoda added, "Sense deception I do."_

"_Anakin," Obi-Wan began, "Are you sure that Kliph and Ahsoka are telling the truth?"_

"Yes I am Obi-Wan; the Force has told me that I can trust Ahsoka," Anakin answered. He wasn't happy that Ahsoka's word was being questioned; for some reason, he was starting to feel very protective of her. "In fact, something has happened here that mostly confirms their words," Anakin breathed out; he knew the council wouldn't like this, "An hour ago, a whole swarm of weevils was found dead here. Kliph's analysis confirmed that they were killed by the same nerve toxin as was found in the output from here. The only way that could have happened is if the plants were themselves were poisoned."

"_That's impossible," Shaak Ti began, "The tests were done on the plants."_

Anakin had to fight to stop himself from laughing at that comment; he'd just told the council that the tests had not been done. Hadn't they heard him? "As I said Master, the tests were NOT done. In fact Kliph and Ahsoka were considering doing the tests themselves."

"_How can you confirm your suspicions Skywalker?" Master Mundi asked._

"Well, I've suspended all activity here and I've asked Kliph to carry out tests on the plants and the soil. Hopefully, they'll tell us something. In the meantime, Ahsoka and I are going to have a close look around this base as there was something really odd going on here."

"_What do you mean Anakin?" Obi-Wan asked._

"Masters, Kliph has told me that eighteen people have left this base in three months," Anakin explained. "In addition, I've found strange controls in the control room relating to bio filters, containment fields and so on." Anakin sighed again, "The other suspicious situation here is how Ahsoka has been treated." Anakin could see that Shaak Ti suddenly took an interest.

"_Why? How has she been treated?" she asked._

Anakin shook his head, making it clear that he was unhappy about this, "She has been forced to be alone here. In fact, from what she has told me, she has been more or less alone since she came here a year and a half ago; as a result, she is seriously depressed."

"_I'm not surprised that she is depressed," Shaak Ti responded, shaking her head, "In fact, she's in grave danger."_

"_What do you mean Shaak?" Luminara Unduli asked._

"_Like me, Ahsoka is Togrutan," Shaak Ti's eyes closed, "My people have a physiological requirement to be part of a group. If a Togruta is forced to be solitary, it causes a great depression. If it lasts long enough, members of my people have been known to commit suicide because of it."_

"NO!" Anakin shouted as he remembered that he learnt about that on Kiros. "I'll watch her, I can't let that happen."

_Master Yoda chuckled, "Fond of young Tano you have become Skywalker. Projecting, your emotions are. Perhaps telling you something the Force is."_

Anakin shook his head; again, Master Yoda was confusing him. He just decided to carry on with what he needed, "I have become fond of her master. I suppose I'll have to think about that. However, the real reason I contacted you is that I need something from the council."

"_What do you need Anakin?" Obi-Wan asked._

"I learnt from Kliph that the senior Jedi here before him was a woman called Joa Pritia. According to him, she also left here extremely quickly. She was the senior Jedi here at the time the controls I mentioned were installed. I need to speak to her about why there were scientists here but Kliph has no idea where she went. Can I ask if the council could chase her up? My feelings are telling me that she knows something about what is going on here." Anakin could see the council members look at each other and he could see that they were disturbed.

"_Find her we will," Master Yoda answered, "Wish to speak to her myself I do."_

"Thank you," Anakin responded. He smiled as Ahsoka came back in from the kitchenette with a glass of blue milk and sat down. With her back, Anakin decided to protect her from any awkward questions that the council were bound to ask her, "I'm just going to have some food masters, and then Ahsoka and I are going to have a close look around, so I'll sign off."

"_May the Force be with you Anakin."_

"And you masters." With that, the connection broke and the holograms disappeared. Anakin sighed with relief; he was certainly glad that that was over.

"Where are we going to look Master Skywalker?" Ahsoka asked. Anakin's idea confused her considerably; Ahsoka thought that she knew pretty much every part of the base. She couldn't understand exactly what Anakin was hoping to find, "I know this base fully; trust me, there's nothing here."

Anakin looked at Ahsoka and he chuckled as he sensed her confusion, "There obviously is something here Ahsoka." He smirked, "Remember those controls I found; they must be for something."

Ahsoka frowned, "I suppose so, but I can't think what."

"Finish your drink Ahsoka, then we'll begin," Anakin said. He took the opportunity to check her over. He was pleased to note that Ahsoka seemed the brightest he had seen her since he first landed on Pheebos. One thing was concerning him about her however, what would happen to her once this was sorted and he returned to Coruscant? She'd be stuck here alone again; he silently groaned at that thought. 'Is there anything that I can do about it?' he silently asked himself.

Ahsoka nodded and drank the rest of her blue milk. A feeling began to build up inside Ahsoka; a feeling that she hadn't experienced in a long time; belonging. For the first time in years Ahsoka felt like she truly was a Jedi. Before Anakin came, she was just a farmer. No, she thought, not even that, she was a silent worker; quietly tending plants, not seen, heard or valued.

Anakin watched as Ahsoka finished her drink and he stood up, "Come on Ahsoka. Let's have a poke around."

Ahsoka nodded and stood up herself. A sudden realisation ran through her mind, "Er, Master Skywalker, what exactly are we looking for?"

Anakin chuckled again, "I have no idea."

Ahsoka shot Anakin a questioning look in response, "Then how….?"

"Don't worry Ahsoka. My feelings are telling me that we will know when we find it." Anakin gestured towards the door, "We'll start in the warehouse."

"Okay" Ahsoka replied as she followed Anakin out of the door. The two of them walked down the side corridor and entered the warehouse. Ahsoka looked at the sacks of produce all around and instantly realised the difficult job ahead of her and Anakin. This was a building that she had been in an incalculable number of times before, but never had she looked at it in this way before, "Where shall we start?"

Anakin mused for a second and pointed towards the right half of the warehouse, "You check over there Ahsoka; I'm going to check over here."

"Check the sacks you mean?" Ahsoka asked.

"No, we know the produce is poisoned. In fact don't touch them as they will all have to be destroyed at some point. I want you to check the walls and floor and things of that nature."

"Check them for what?" Ahsoka asked with a frown on her face. This was getting more and more puzzling to her.

Anakin gave her a lob sided grin; he was delighted that she was taking such an interest but he didn't really know why he was so happy about it, "For anything that shouldn't be there. Trap doors for instance."

Ahsoka nodded and headed off to her side of the warehouse and started examining the walls. If she was honest, she had no idea why; a wall as a wall wasn't it? Besides, she couldn't remember any suspicious activity here in the warehouse and there was constant security camera coverage here as well that would surely capture anything untoward.

She continued to look around for over half an hour. She checked the walls, the floor and looked up to see if there was anything unusual in the roof but as Ahsoka suspected, everything was pretty much as it appeared. She glanced across the opposite side of the warehouse and noticed that Anakin was coming up empty as well.

She was just about to give up and join Anakin when some of the sacks on a nearby pallet caught her eye. Ahsoka knew that Anakin had told her not to touch the sacks since they were likely poisoned but there was something definitely different about these sacks. She walked in closer and studied them; they were the same sacks as the rest and the writing on them said "Corellian Potatoes" just like the rest but she could see that they weren't holding potatoes; the bulges in the sacks were all wrong. Deciding to risk it, Ahsoka ripped open one of the sacks and pulled out one of the objects inside.

Ahsoka's eyes widened when she looked at the object; it wasn't a potato, it was a petri dish. Now she was confused; she had seen them before of course but only in the odd biology lesson when she was at the Temple before she was assigned to the Agri-Corps. Her mind raced; why where they here? Why hadn't she seen them here before? She kept the dish in her hand and ran to the other side of the warehouse, "Master Skywalker. Master Skywalker, I think I've found something."

Anakin was studying one of the side walls when he heard Ahsoka call. He turned around and noticed her running up to him. He could sense the confusion in her and he knew already that she had found something that she didn't understand. Inwardly, this concerned him. Ahsoka was a member of the Agri-Corps and stationed in this base; if she didn't understand it, the chances were that he wouldn't either. He hid his own concern and responded, "What have you found Ahsoka?"

"This" Ahsoka answered as she held the petri dish up. She pointed to the pallet of them that she had discovered and continued, "I found several full sacks of them over there. I know you said not to touch the sacks, but these looked so different I had to check them out. I can't understand why these are here; I've certainly never had any use for them."

Anakin took the dish from her and studied it closer. He discovered that the dish in itself was unremarkable; just like the ones he had used in lessons at the temple in fact but it was the fact that it was here on a farm that was unusual. After a couple of seconds, a light bulb lit in his mind, "Scientists."

"Master?" Ahsoka questioned.

Anakin grinned at her, "Scientists Ahsoka; this is the kind of thing that they use. We know that there have been scientists stationed here; they must have used these for something and left them behind when they basically fled. I must say it was kind of careless of them to leave these." He sighed; this confirmed something that he was suspecting already, "These are proof that there are hidden areas of this base."

Ahsoka gained a sceptical lob sided grin and her voice gained a hint of sarcasm, "How does it prove that?"

Anakin was happy to see any kind of grin on Ahsoka's face; for some reason, it pleased him. However, her question needed answering, "Scientists need labs to carry out the kind of work they use petri dishes for. If they were here using these, there are labs somewhere and we have to find them."

Ahsoka shook her head, "I've been everywhere in this base; there is nowhere where labs could be hidden."

Anakin could sense that Ahsoka was telling the truth and it made him think; if Ahsoka had never seen the labs, then they must be hidden somewhere where she had never been. This also doubly confirmed that she was innocent. Still, the fact that she hadn't been somewhere could be used to his advantage, "Think Ahsoka; is there anywhere on this base that you have never been? Anywhere at all?"

Ahsoka stood silently for a few minutes; was there anywhere that she hadn't been to? She ran through everywhere on the base. Eventually, she did realise something, "The only places I haven't been to master are the other quarters."

Anakin grinned; that was perfect. In addition, he had an idea, "Erm Ahsoka, all the quarters apart from yours, Kliph's and mine should be unlocked shouldn't they?"

"I believe so; I can't think why they would be looked; why?"

Anakin smiled as he answered, "Because Ahsoka, if any of them are locked and the rest aren't, then that is a good place to start looking."

Realisation dawned on Ahsoka; that would be the only way that anything secret could get past her and Kliph, "Ah, I see."

Anakin was just about to answer when his comlink beeped. He sighed and answered, "Skywalker."

"_Ah Knight Skywalker; it's Kliph. I've had carried out the tests you have asked for and the results are puzzling and disturbing. Can you and Ahsoka come back to the control room?"_

Anakin quickly glanced at Ahsoka as he replied, "Alright, we'll be there shortly. Skywalker out." He turned off his comlink and turned to Ahsoka "Come on."

Ahsoka nodded and followed Anakin out of the warehouse and back to the control room. As they were walking, some fears started to return to Ahsoka's mind; what could Kliph find that was disturbing to him? She shook her head; she didn't like this at all. Her mind was still racing as she followed Anakin into the control room.

"Alright, what did you find out Kliph?" Anakin asked.

"I don't know how this is possible….." Kliph began, "…..but according to the test results, the plants are full of the toxin."

"What? How?" Ahsoka asked. She was both stunned and hurt by the news that all the hard work that she had put in had gone towards growing crops that could kill someone.

"That's….that's the most disturbing part." Kliph uttered.

"What do you mean?" asked Anakin. The fact that his suspicions were confirmed deeply concerned him. At least he knew why nothing had ever shown up on the security holos now; the toxin was in the crops before it was even harvested.

Kliph closed his eyes and shook his head; his shame and fear rippled through the Force, "After I made that discovery, I carried out a deeper analysis. I still can't believe the results. According to my tests, the toxin wasn't introduced into the plants; the plants are making the toxin."

"WHAT?" Anakin and Ahsoka screamed together. They both stood staring at Kliph with wide eyes. "That's…..that's impossible" Ahsoka added.

"I know. I ran the analysis three times" Kliph responded. He then uttered, "I've…..I've never seen this before in the twenty seven years that I've been in the Agri-Corps. I don't know what to say."

"Are all the crops making the toxin?" Anakin asked in a deeply shocked and confused voice.

"Fortunately not all but a large proportion of them are" Kliph replied, "After I checked the pink lettuce, I checked the bilaberries and the Corellian Potatoes as well. I'm afraid to say that some plants of all three species are producing the toxin."

"The same toxin in all three?" Ahsoka asked. The fear was evident in her voice; she felt like she had been hit by a rancor.

"Yes, I'm afraid so. As I said, I've never seen anything like it."

For once, Anakin was stuck; he didn't know what to say or what to do. At least he knew that he could trust Kliph now. In fact, Anakin wondered if the only reason that Kliph and Ahsoka were still on Pheebos was the fact that they were innocent. That thought made him realise something, "Kliph, could this be a natural disease or something like that?"

Klipf thought for a second and stroked his chin with his hand, "I'm not an expert Knight Skywalker, but I don't really think so; not the same toxin in three species. Add the fact that the plants themselves are growing fine."

Anakin sighed again, "What about the soil?"

"That's the other bad news. According to my tests, the toxin has been leeching out of the plants slightly and is starting to appear in the soil."

After hearing this, Ahsoka started to cry; this had hit her personally, "So it's all useless, the whole field?"

"I'm afraid so" Kliph replied sadly.

Anakin watched in horror as Ahsoka broke down in tears. He instantly became deeply concerned as her lekku instantly darkened. Not caring for Jedi protocol, he pulled Ahsoka into his arms to comfort her. Shaking his head he said, "It's getting late; let's call it a night. Ahsoka, you and me will go through all the quarters tomorrow and find that lab; I'm certain that it's linked." He turned to Kliph, "Can you start destroying the plants? We can't leave them around if they are that toxic."

Kliph nodded as Anakin guided a still tearful Ahsoka out of the control room. Anakin decided that if he found out who was responsible for this then they would pay. For now, he had to get Ahsoka back to her quarters and make sure that she was okay; that was not going to be easy he reasoned.

**Well, that's chapter 5 and you have the first hints of the truth. I wonder if any of you can work out what has actually happened on Pheebos yet. There are enough clues that you might be able to guess. Poor Ahsoka; just as she was starting to improve as well. I wanted to show that hitting her hard as it was basically her life's work. Anyway, next chapter; Anakin and Ahsoka go on a hunt of a hidden lab and make a discovery that might push Ahsoka over the edge.**


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